American Volunteerism: Past and Present at the Nanyue King Museum

Dr. Marlly Wang, Vice Director of the Nanyue King Museum hosted Jordan Blen, English Language Fellow at Jinan University and Greg Wong, FCS Chief for a presentation and animated discussion about Volunteerism in America to an assembled crowd of approximately 60 students and young adults. After APAO Dan Holtrop welcomed the participants, Dr. Wang discussed the life and work of  American Presbyterian medical missionary John Kerr (1824-1901), who spent 53 years in Guangzhou and was responsible for bringing western medicine to south China.  Following this presentation, Jordan gave an overview of the Peace Corps and his experience serving as a volunteer in China.  Greg then shared his Peace Corps experience and discussed how volunteer work had helped define his education and career.   Students participated in an engaging Q&A session with the presenters, asking questions that ranged from volunteer work to following one’s dreams to negotiating parental pressures that may surface in the process.